Two legislative architects of Texas' sweeping reforms in juvenile
justice after a sex-abuse scandal five years are fuming over a new
report that questions security and safety at the Giddings State School.

The
report includes allegations that youths are being "bought and owned" by
other youths for cigarettes, illicit drugs and money at the lockup
about 50 miles east of Austin.

The nine-page investigative report
by Ombudsman Debbie Unruh that legislative leaders received on Tuesday
lists an array of other issues: Youth ringleaders are "controlling the
culture on this campus," staff have a lack of control over youths,
youths have refused to leave security detention for fear of their
safety, and bullying and extortion of food are common.

In the
report, agency officials said they have identified five ringleaders,
including one youth who was caught on a security camera stealing food
from another youth. Random drug tests and dorm searches have been
initiated to curb contraband trafficking, the report states.

The Senate Criminal Justice Committee will hold a hearing to examine the report's findings in May. Added Ward, "Release of the report comes as the latest in a series of reported
problems at the lockup — from last September, when a youth offender
stabbed a female correctional officer, to management issues that have
kept top Austin officials at Giddings for months to a recent survey of
more than 100 youths at Giddings by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
who reported their highest concern was being assaulted by other youths."

85 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I have never posted anything derrogotory regarding the former TYC or TJPC but after reading the articles previously I hope the legislature takes a good hard look at this from the top down. I was not in favor of merging the 2 agencies and this is a prime example why. The TJPC staff are non-existent in the new agency. Probation is getting the cold shoulder and this is not acceptable. I think the facilities should all shut down, start with new community based concept. The executivedirector does not need a 4th or 5th chance.

SO. Human trafficking is allowed in a state operated facility. I guess all the negative information that has spewed out of the mouths of former and current TYC employees is actually true. Rick Perry needs to step in. This will tarnish his fading crown.

This type of thing is happening all over TJJD, but no one seems to care until it reaches the Lege. I thought that when Stan got walked off that Jimbo Smith was supposed to go to Giddings and get it under control? Didn't he even move his buddy (the Assistant from Mart) down to help? Could it be that he has no clue how to run a TJJD facility? I know, let's do away with the Security Unit, give the kids more Snickers and take them to the circus. Surely they'll behve then? The current situation is indicative of the ineffective "treatment" (and I use the term loosely)program that is CoNextions. Maybe DOJ needs to take another look and what's happening in TJJD. Anyone who thought that the merger would solve all the problems...guess again. And how about the new board? They picked Townsend. maybe the Lege should reevaluate those choices as well.

I recall posting that if the agency just had a name change but took all the administration from the old TYC nothing good would come of it. Time to shut the facilities down and start with a community based concept as poster commented on at 10:48 a.m. TDCJ should take over the kids at Giddings who have long terms to serve. I can't believe that with so many brains in the lege, they cannot form one that can solve these problems. Maybe I am just naive or dreaming. Wake me up.

Abolish the the Juvenile System as we know it today, TYC/TJPC and place services under health and human services? Maintaining bothe TYC and TJPC is duplication of services and that means money is being wasted.

Glad to see the Giddings facility is going to be looked at closely BEFORE someone gets killed there; I feel it was only a matter of time. Hopefully this will be the start of some much needed and belated positive changes. What determined investigators and inspectors will find will NOT be a pretty sight to the public, so be prepared... because if they REALLY do a thorough job... heads will roll!!

While they're busy giving random drug tests to the kids -- why not give them to all the STAFF as well? Why not multiple times a year? Being on a locked down campus is NO PLACE for ANYONE to be using unauthorized drugs.

The whole campus culture is in meltdown mode and needs to be revamped from the bottom up if it is to remain functional... if they investigate just what the current people in charge WANT them to see, nothing will change. And someone likely WILL die due to a lack of moral courage on the part of State authorities to deal with the monster of a problem they have allowed to exist for far too long.

Giddings was one of the best run facilities - until they started worrying about facility closures, which pushed them into a "bribery" policy with the kids and turning a blind eye so they wouldn't have to have security referrals. Just as a quick note, one of the bigger problems out there might be named Jackie, a real "savior" if there ever was one, who overturns punishments and babies her little sweethearts, even the total ringleaders who are such a big problem now. There's a lot of great staff out at Giddings, but none of them are in administration. That would be the place to start overhauling, especially considering the fact that administration is usually largely ignored and staff are always the ones to blame.

You people who think you are reforming tyc or tjjd or whatever you want to call it are a gd joke. I’m sure tyc reform was fun water cooler and cocktail party conversation but in real life you people just stole tax dollars that education could have used calling yourself reforming tyc. I posted on this site when the merge story first broke that it was a fast cover up of the latest scandal regarding tyc’s pedophilic culture and the leadership who allowed it. And now you reformers have gone and screwed up what was somewhat working, probation.

The agency name and the names of the blowhards who call themselves reformers have changed but the reality remains the same. 120+ years of physically, verbally, mentally and now with legislated racism in the form of affirmative action we now have pedophile staff sexually abusing these kids. When you hire staff from the lowest rung of the socio economic/academic layers of society they will treat the children in such a way that you get what you get here.

The reality of the situation can only lead an alumnus to say you people must enjoy those feces showers from the children you are scared of. You know the ones we tax payers are paying you people to help.

Great work tyc/tjjd leadership, you have my vote for ass clown leadership team of the year. Perhaps this smith guy you disgrunts bash can be the state agency job corps poster emp for waist management.

I’ve said this here before and in a recommendation I’ve sent to my local legislators Youth lockup should be handled by TDCJ and we get rid of our governor’s embarrassment called tyc/tjjd.

I have said this and anyone who has ever worked for this agency will tell you this, Conextions is a bribery game, not a treatment program. Townsend has bought into this concept because she has no real expereince with working with juveniles. She may have a resume that states otherwise, but it's just writing on paper. If they really want to reform this agency move away from Conextions and hold youth accountable for their actions. What a novel idea

Cherie Townsend needs to go folks - it's that simple. She's trying to turn this thing into some 1970's Billy Jack hippy loving treatment centers and that wont work with these hardened criminals. She has failed to lead for sometime now. The agency needs new leadership because quit fankly, Cherie Townsend is not getting it done. Take the James Smith with her. Take the entire executive administration and clean them all out. Total failures. If what's happening at Giddings is being accurately reported, then these are acts of orginalized criminal activity. Where the hell is the OIG and why have they not intervened before it got to this point? Take Cris Love, head of OIG, out as well. Just not getting it done. The whole group has really screwed the place up. It's not repairable. Close it down.

I read the ombudsman report and TDDJ's response. Based on what the Giddings staff have reported on this blog site and others, I tend to believe the Ombudsman's report and reject the thinking errors, namly "downplaying," that TDJJ has responded with. If this is not a glaring indication that this executive administration needs to be turned over and replaced, then I don't know what is. It's my hope that Sen. Whitmire et.al realize where the problems are and address them accordingly. I recall days when kids took a lot of pride in marching military style. Heck, they used to have competitions. They took pride in being disciplined and respectful as opposed to what they were prior to commitment. Why in the hell would you take that away from them? Movement is a tale-telling indicator of problems coming. I really take issue with this report. Remember folks, the security unit is the thermostate of the campus. The frequency of referrals and self referrals should be noteworthy. I have to agree with other commentors that Cherie Townsend and her administration have failed to show that they can keep kids safe and I agree - It's time for her to go.

As a probation officer some of us in the field felt betrayed that so many former TYC employees were placed into positions of authority when it eas the scandals at TYC that caused all the termoil across the juvenile field from the get go. All the bloggers said why merge a good agency with a bad agency, all it will do is create 1 perceived bad agency. Dissolve the state facilities, place it under TDCJ (where most committments end up anyway)give the field more diversion money and re-form TJPC. Anyone know where Vicki is?? CR

Since 2005 - TYC (TJJD) has gone through 6 or 7 execs or conservators, 3 or 4 total changes in management, reconfiguring the entire treatment program, re-writing most of the laws governing its existence, reconfiguring the physical buildings (dorms), spending hundres of millions in reform. The only thing that has been constant in all of this is that Senator John Whitmire has been the head of the Senate oversight committee in charge of juvenile justice. I think it is time he consider admitting that his reform effort has been a dismal failure if he really is as mad as he pretends in the Statesman. The only respectible thing left for him to do is to setp down and let new leadership take over the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. The buck should stop with the lawmakers who are ultimately responsible for what they say is wrong. This "blaming the agency" song and dance is tired. Quit beating up on hardworking public employees - do the right thing Senator Whitmire - and step down from your chairmanship and perhaps your entire office as a Senator.

Jim Hurley, a spokesman for the department, noted that the issue of youths being "bought and sold" at Giddings was never reported previously to authorities. He said the agency has a "zero-tolerance policy" for abuse of incarcerated youths and that leaders are confident that Giddings residents are "safe and secure."

Excuse me! Excuse me!

Nobody would touch TYC/Giddings even after the mess came out in 2007. Everybody knew Stan was completely and totally surrounded by what was known as his "wolf pack." This little group includes Dwight Harris' brother--he's been right up there under Stan all these years. Nobody at Giddings would ever talk and no one ever will. It has been a completely closed system left to run wild and we all knew it and know it.

@3:50"As a probation officer some of us in the field felt betrayed that so many former TYC employees were placed into positions of authority when it eas the scandals at TYC that caused all the termoil across the juvenile field from the get go."

Guess that pretty much unveils your true motives for the merger. You sound disappointed that you weren't placed in a position of authority as you apparently anticipated.

You juvenile probation folks were slinging as much crap about TYC in hopes of benefiting from the turmoil. Now that the merger happened you bitch about who is in the positions of power.WTH

Weaker youth can be "bought and sold" to stronger youth for a variety of purposes/needs. They get them to do their bidding, be it whacking someone, passing out contraband, sexual connections, etc. If a weak youth resists, he is punished by the big guys and their minions.

Between staff and youth, youth and youth -- it trades off either way depending on who's got the power to strongarm who. As it now stands at Gidding, the kids have the power to dictate the nature dorm cultures... and the results have not been good, for anyone.

TJJD QUICK FIX:

Send the worst offenders 17+ to TDCJ. Take the rest (or as many as possible) of the kids and farm them out to local probation agencies. Fire Cheri Townsend. Make all the longstanding MIA JCO 5's and 6's submit to a review by the JCO 1-4's. Get rid of the +85% of the deadwood 6's and most of the limp-spined 5's and START OVER. After the remaining JCO's, educators, and the public have had a chance to work out a resonable program for juvenile felons, go for it. Don't look back! I can dream, can't I?

Provide MEANINGFUL training for staff, and increase rehabilitave options (chuck CoNextions, first) and opportunities for the youth for a reasonable amount of time. If they obviously don't intend to toe the line and take advantage of what's being offered, ship them up to TDCJ ASAP and let them deal with what they will hopefully recognize as Reality and Consequences for a change.

What you have working with the offenders are uneducated people. People who won't even take the time to spell check. Give me a break.

Until public service is willing to increase it's pay in order to hire quality staff who are willing to stick around, build a career, and make a difference, none of this will change.

Youth lockups and prisons for adults are built in rural communities. Who would want to build a career in Giddings? Nobody, that's who. So, you are left with people from Lee County who call Lee County home; and never planned on leaving Lee County working in Lee County. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose; but it boils down to pay scales. It always boils down to money. How much is the State of Texas willing to spend to help the offender.

It isn't Cherie Townsend's fault. That is ludicrous. Now, blaming the Legislature, that is getting closer to the real problem.

What type of risk assessment is done on these offenders? How is a treatment plan developed? My guess is they are all put in the same Program all mixed together, with no delineation based on the needs of the offender. Adult system does the same thing. They talk a good game about not mixing high risk with low risk but it is non-preventable.

Spend the money to make a difference. If you think putting someone in prison will hold them accountable, you are dreaming. It will only make them worse. That is the problem, we keep making people worse instead of better.

Put those we are afraid of behind bars, not those who we can help.

We love to look for someone t blame when all of us are to blame.

It is about cost and the State of Texas will never spend the money necessary to make a difference in an offender's life.

Just read the report, I see the old Count System from Gatesville is still in place. Sounds like the wolf pack was working it and perhaps profiting by it. And TJJD’s response is,,, well … if our legislators believe that shit we need to vote their dumb ass out of office. Nobody knew; that’s some funny shit that TJJD’s cover guys expect people to believe. Your staff doesn’t feel safe because your executive leadership took away the control valve. This should be interesting to watch because the culture has been at the root of the problem for many tyc scandals. Judge Justice wrote about the culture being the problem in Morales v Turman. Yet he moved the culture to the little boy’s home at Giddings. And now it’s exposed itself again. Don’t you people know your own history? Gatesville never closed by the way. When your staff works the culture, things stay on the low. Disrupt the culture and it’s a public relations nightmare. And like one post said, Texas won’t spend the money to change the culture. People know about the culture, yet these reformer blowhards come in and just farkakte things up.One Schvartzes staff hollerin instructions to another Schvartzes staff: lol, can’t say I hadn’t seen that before. We are such a racial country, and TYC was always concerned about counts by race. Would anyone care to post the staff count at Giddings broken down by race and gender?Would anyone care to guess the race and gender of the person/persons who crafted the TJJD responses in that report?How does the peckerwood staff feel about race relations among their non Caucasian peers?A data guy is curious to know.

Race relations among staff are the worst I've ever seen at any workplace. Period.

There is a constant friction and tension between the blacks and whites that I know of and have experienced numerous times, first hand. White people never mention it much except among themselves, due to being in the extreme minority. Why make the effort? They'll just label you a racist. No matter WHAT you say it can be twisted around and turn you into a pariah around your co-workers: BEEN THERE, and it's not a nice place.

The kids seem to have less problems dealing with racial issues than do the staff.

The Ombudsman report reflects what many responders on this blog have been saying about the Giddings campus for months. Who are you going to believe? It's time for Cherie Townsend to walk the plank with her General Counsel Arizona Bank chimpanzie and that wannabe educated idiot they call James Smith.It will never get better until this threesome is walked.

What's the problem? The merge was to bring the best of both agencies together.....but not one single person from TJPC was worthy in CT's eyes!

It's been a few months and the new management team has made several different meeting and said all the right things.But it's just like this story here, they say the right things and nothing they do matches thier words!

The governors girl would have to admit she screwed up in selecting CT, not going to happen. The board, chosen because they agreed to give the job to CT have to admit they screwed up, not going to happen!

And nothing makes this more pathetic the fake indignation from Madden and the Dean of the senate. Jerry was in way over his head when this all started. The Dean knew better but got "bought" off some how.

Them acting shocked may be worse than what's going on. TYC hasn't changed one bit, can't! But Jerry and the Dean were elected to make this state better! And to protect those who need protection, instead they played bull$&@t games with our lives, cause every kid in TYC is coming home to our neighborhood.

And trust me on this folks it's only going to get worse because no one will admit they screwed up!

This is a case of assaults, etc. based on race. Oops, I said it. It's OK to target Whitey these days. Systematic race based violence and intimidation, but in these types of cases we don't talk about it.

Mike Meade should testify. He seems to be the only board member that has been here to really see for himself. I think without him snooping around un announced he would have never seen what really goes on here. I like him and hope he can get things changed. I have seen a great deal of activity here since he and his group first showed up. I hope other board members and the so called advisory council take a active role in reforms. No one else seems to care.

Been reading news and posts for close to two years now regarding "TYC-TJPC,etc."

The whole thing is POISON! The public can no longer trust that all parties involved with the merger can be trusted to resolve their problems and move ahead.

Maybe it is time for the State to just get out of the Juvenile/Youth business, including funding sending down funding to counties. Make each county entirely responsible for all juvenile and youth services.

The priority in both of these fields has been and always will be political jockeying, at the expense of taking care of business.

END SUM, there is no one person who can be hired to turn this around at this point. Opening that door again will only bring more of the same results.

Bout time people stop saying that the JCO's are just crying about things. We are not. TYC/TJJD is seriously broken and I've risked my job and more by posting here and on the TDJJ website. The plain facts are that the Whole place needs to be revamped! All of the nepotism administration and Management needs to go. Without a change as serious as this the agency is doomed. Lets see the example of the Management. The JCO 6's the ones that seem to run the place as their own personal playground. Most if not all are related to each other in some way or are the best of buds. Since the introduction of the Connexions program the JCO 6's have gone missing in action. They no longer sat on their assigned dorms but went and sat in the Café, Parking lot, Administration, Even the closed dorm 1. With them being gone the JCO's lost the management support they needed on the dorms. The new hires had no support also and quit in record numbers. The first shake up they fired Stan D and made Jackie Urbach step down from assistant director. The reality is that the present policies and rules had all of our hands tied and we could not do anything with the youth. Problem youth normally were sent to security for a stay to teach them to not do bad things. The new rules had the lazy and dumb caseworkers and the clueless ODS sending them back before the incident report even arrived to explain why they were sent to security. JCO's needed them off the dorms to get a handle on situations and suddenly the referrals were denied and even if they were sent they returned as fast as fifteen minutes! The youth soon learned that they could do about anything and nothing happened! Hell! We were told to "Deal with it!" Suddenly student to staff assaults rose dramatically! Several serious ones have happened in the past few months! TJJD has done a good job covering them up from the media. Finally the latest move to make the JCO 6's responsible for more than one dorm and on all shifts has made them completely vanish! Seeing one on campus is like finding hen's teeth! The still missing in action Management is going to continue and as we all know at TJJD "Nothing will change!" Lets get something done! I'm tired of paying 43-50k for these JCO 6's to do nothing and to not help staff or deal with the youth as they are trained to do!

ANSWER: The JCO 6's at Giddings do nothing, nothing, nothing, NOTHING!! They don't appear on the dorms except to hide out in the office, don't set expectations/standards for staff and youth, don't pull 12 hour shifts to accomodate call-in's, don't grant requested time off, and don't give a rip what anyone thinks of their behavior.

They are The Untouchables... Admin has allowed a set of Frankenstein Monsters to TOTALLY shirk their duties and it cannot rein them in now. I say: GET RID OF 'EM ALL. They are worse than useless... they just cost money and provide NO services to ANYONE. It is a disgrace, and is one of the greatest reasons that morale on campus has sunk to such lows.

The JCO 5's who are JCO 6 wannabe's do everything they can to learn the tricks of the trade on how to hold down a job and not be responsible or to be held accountable to anyone or anything. There's no other way to put it -- these "supervisors" are NOT DOING THEIR JOBS. They HIDE OUT. It is a GOOD OLD BOY network and they have Admin too scared to tell them to get off their lazy butts and put some real time in ON THE FLOOR of the dorm(s) they are assigned to.

Fix THIS situation and you'll go a long way towards fixing the mess Giddings is, and has been, in for the past few years. Can't get any WORSE than it is now!

I see all these comments about shutting TJJD down and go to community based programs. If you recommend this then you know absolutely nothing. Since they reduced the size of TJJD/TYC and they stopped receiving misdemeanors, even the serious misdemeanors you should take a looke at what has happened to foster care. The majority of kids that have committed serious misdemeanor offenses have been diverted to the foster care system. Now assaults on foster parents and staff that work in group homes are on the rise and it is harder than ever to get good people to be foster parents. TJJD needs to get back to Resocialization and treat kids fairly and with respect, but make them earn their stages and priveleges and their way out. Not be providing bouncing blow ups for them to play on.

The Superintendent at Giddings made a deal with the JCO 6's (and the 5's who are JCO 6 wannabe's). He let them get as useless as they wantabe as long as they watched his back and kept their damned mouth shut about what he and his inner clique did. It wasn't just the 6's acting on their own. They had juice with the Superintendent. This corruption is bad to the bone. Really, this is a perfect system-gotta give em credit.

So, lots of negative talk here with back seat JCO's. Where is a viable action plan? Someone needs to present a action plan to the board and the legeslators on cleaning up this mess. Evidently management at TJJD cannot do it.

@1:05pm"I see all these comments about shutting TJJD down and go to community based programs. If you recommend this then you know absolutely nothing"

Community Based Programs solely operated and solely funded by Counties will work. It is a simple concept of management. Put the accountablity and operation next door to each other and this crap will stop. If a county doesn't like how things are being operated they have the right to replace those in charge because they are paying for it.State funding and State operating TYC doesn't work because the right hand never knows when the left hand is jacking off.Funding Juvenile Probation with State funds and allowing Local Counties to administrate doesn't work because money isn't tied to performance and offenders end up being dumped in TYC. As 1:05pm so succintly stated, he/she is very concerned because you can no longer send misdemeanor offenders TYC and they are ending up in foster homes. Why in the world are misdemeanor offenders being sent to TYC in the first place?

If the kids that don't make the cut to be incarcerated at Giddings are shuttled off to foster homes, and the foster parents get tired of getting the stuffing knocked out of them then they'll know how the JCO staff feels. I wonder how many foster parents would have to be kicked in the head or stabbed before some kind of action was taken?

The State seems to figure JCO's are expendable and doesn't charge the youth with additional crimes if staff are assaulted. Foster parents might luck out better, hard to say.

Monkey see monkey do. This is fantastic and sums it all up well! If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water. After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result .... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, put the cold water away. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat him mercilessly. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment... with enthusiasm. Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, none of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana. Why, you ask? Because in their minds... that is the way it has always been! This, my friends, is how the government operates... and is why, from time to time, all of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME!

Counties are doing a great job utilizing the funding presented to them to keep the youth out of the state operated cess pools. Look at the referral rates. However, it comes a time where community safety is a priority and if there is not a secure placement that a county can send a violent or multiple repeat offender to that they can afford then by default the state facilities get the crap. As a crime victim myself I wanted the little SOB's that broke into my home to fry. However, they were placed on probation. The kids responded to the supervision and treatment and never came back into the juvenile system. Others just don't respond and continue to commit offenses. Those need the attention.

We have a new superintendent now at Giddings, Alan Michel. Maybe he will step in and clean house with all of these JCO supervisors on campus, we have to start somewhere if we want to keep this place open.

Alan Michel? The same Alan Michel who couldn't draw a breath without asking Alan Walters for permission?I guess James Smith decided it's better to appoint Michel and sacrifice him if necessary than to have himself or his pal from Mart exposed as the incompetents they truly are. Is there no end to the madness?

JCO Burnout has provided the Behavioral Science explanation of what Sheldon TYC#47333 has been saying all along, the Gatesville culture was never closed its was moved to Giddings and then spread to other facilities. Its foolishness to think you can keep doing the same thing and expect different results, yet that what has been done.

@4/19--8:25Counties are doing a great job utilizing the funding presented to them to keep the youth out of the state operated cess pools. Look at the referral rates.

Thought that referral rates were down because of county run jp court intervention programs? Which by the way are good examples of how county operated and funded programs work better than all of the above.

Can Alan Michel, can anyone, stand up to the Degerolamized culture at Giddings? All, or almost all, the staff support that particular form of corruption that they brewed out there. They believe their own carefully crafted deceptions. It has been that way for decades.

If Michel seeks to accommodate himself to the culture and try to go along and be reasonable, he is sunk. He has no allies out there. None. At some places, you have some staff members with advanced degrees or a moral background who understand the need for honesty and values. Not at Giddings. All those were driven off years ago. In the future, those with good intentions who drift in will be driven off.

From The Statesman“The Juvenile Justice Department is the months-old agency that replaced the Juvenile Probation Commission and the scandal-plagued Texas Youth Commission that operated Giddings. The former director of the Youth Commission, Cherie Townsend, now heads the department.”What’s wrong with this paragraph where is places “scandal-plagued Texas Youth Commission” and “The former director of the Youth Commission, Cherie Townsend, now heads the department” in the same context? Really, you did what?Again from The Statesman “Jim Hurley, a spokesman for the department, noted that the issue of youths being "bought and sold" at Giddings was never reported previously to authorities. He said the agency has a "zero-tolerance policy" for abuse of incarcerated youths and that leaders are confident that Giddings residents are "safe and secure."”Really Jimmie “Release of the report comes as the latest in a series of reported problems at the lockup — from last September, when a youth offender stabbed a female correctional officer, to management issues that have kept top Austin officials at Giddings for months to a recent survey of more than 100 youths at Giddings by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition who reported their highest concern was being assaulted by other youths.”What about the survey Jimmie?Great story about the Baboons JCO Burnout and yes I agree with the previous commentator that it’s a good explanation of how the Gatesville culture Judge Justice sought to abolish spread like Ebola when it was moved to the Little Boys Home at Giddings.

The one fact that ia missing is that the In the trenches JCO I-IV's knew about the bullying and taking of the said youth's food and more. Not only did we all report it to out JCO 5's and 6's We were soon told that it was being handled. As normal for TJJD Giddings. Nothing happened! I could name the youths that are involved with this scandal easily. And the main one learned from another one just how to use his size and other big friends to intimidate the smaller youth and take steal their food and more. Again we told management of this and its documented in the paperwork. Yet after a while when nothing is done only a few of us kept trying to curb this behavior of the youth. The youth themselves grew bolder and got worse. Soon they began to intimidate staff and demand food, candy and party's from staff! One instance they were denied the "Super-bowl party" for their behavior and they rioted and got it anyways! Lets just say that TJJD Giddings the Management and Administration have taught them well how to become Demanding youth. It's a shame when you try to no avail to teach them real values when the Management and Administration go and ruin it with their policies and rules that Townsend called the agency's and employees hard work and commitment to best practices. I want to puke at the pure bullshit of her lies and lack of understanding to what they created and what the JCO's have to deal with!

You like those thinking errors being spewed out of the mouths in Central Office Sheldon? Your comment is hilarious and right on the money. The agency is in need of another conservator to clean house. If they need a financial mismanagement reason, all they have to do is look at Townsend giving out those high raises to her executive staff and they'd have the reason.

The TJJD spin doctors are hard at it. Reports of the buying and selling of "peons" was identified at Evins during the DOJ monitoring era. Nothing was done then, just like nothing has been done at Giddings up to now. There was more emphasis by James Smith, Alan Walters and Alan Michel on getting rid of the Anglo administrative staff to appease the resident Mexican Mafia sub-culture than in addressing real issues like contraband, extortion, and staff/youth safety. The ombudsman should go to Evins and see just how many of the stipulations of the DOJ agreed order are still being maintained. Look at the number of assaults taking place, the attempted escapes, etc. Interview some of the high stage kids who are "ready" to go home. See what they know about little, inconsequential things like risk and protective factors You'll be surprised. Ask the kids how often they see their JCO VI or caseworker. Visit the school and see what Evins tries to pass off as education. Look at overtime and ask why it's so high. TJJD is, without a doubt, an ineffective, corrupt embarassment on every conceivable level.

Remember when the lege held it's meeting in 07 and listened to anyone except the ones that worked the halls? Those on the halls deserve a lot of admiration for holding TYC together for the last 5 years with progressively less discipline/consequences. When they declared BMPs unacceptable the present state of affairs became inevitable.

I see a lot of people are giving their opinion and most are uneducated and I see a lot of bitter people that have maybe been overlooked for a position. I can say many things have been said about Mr. Smith but he is honestly trying to reform the facility. It is pure B.S. when I read some of these comments. I have been there through the madness and I can say that the culture in 1000 percent better than it was even a month ago. As soon as Stan was gone a dramatic change for the better began. There are staff that work hard to ensure the safety of the youth. Most of the JCO staff that are commenting are the same one's bringing contraband and sit back and watch youth get assaulted and don't have a backbone and stand up for what is right and want to be friends with these kids and don't care. Like one said I told so and so and they did nothing...well why didn't you go to the next step?!! I'll tell you why because YOU are one of the staff that won't confront the kid that is doing it. You are the nightmare that your co-workers see. YOU are one of those that just come to your 8 hours and go home! I hear all of the complaints and comments...but no true solutions...a bunch of ignorant people who have nothing better to do...I hear people beating down people in charge but no one is saying that they are concerned about the kids!!!! This should be the focus here!! Rehabilitation for the ones who can be rehabilitated and ensuring their well being!! A bunch of ignorant heartless people it what i see hear, the true heart of America today....shaking my head

To 04/21 5:19 am - The Juvenile Justice Department and its predecessor (TYC)has always supposed to have been about the kids. Perhaps you should take a long look at just exactly what that means. Townsend, Smith, et al instituted a "program" that tries to buy behavior, rather than change it; makes excuses for inappropriate behavior rather than hold kids accountable; and are keeping a system of racism and cronyism that rivals any past executive administration era. And if you are aware of the abuses going on at Giddings and have done nothing about them, you are a coward and just as much to blame as anyone.

You are making these comments do you work for the former TYC? Have you implemented the program? Because what you are alleging is false the program is suppose to promote critical thinking in youth, help them problem solve, help them build coping skills for emotions, consider others, and form the appropriate behaviors for them to integrate back into society. I work there and I am in the trenches and I see Mr. Smith working closely with staff to ensure that the facility improves, and that children are safe, healthy, and treated fairly, as well as held accountable for inappropriate behavior. I have no reason to take up for him because I do not know him but I have witnessed the dramatic changes that have taken place for the better for youth and staff. Again you are attempting to blame 2 people but if you want to blame someone it needs to equally spreaded out. What really grinds my gears is when someone is trying to debate and do have the facts or evidence, seems to me you have a personal dislike for those 2 people and you making bias statements. I will never allow a youth to be extorted or harmed...Did you read that I said I was aware of it and did nothing? Pay attention...One thing I will never be is a coward...You have a few thinking errors(jumping to conclusions)thats learned in coNextions...lol

Who made the decision to continue on with CoNextions despite it's failing history and contribution to unsafe cultures? Townsend. Who made the decision to eliminate the BMP policy that addressed the most violent youth in the agency thus contributing majorly to the unsafe cultures on the campus? Townsend. Who put pressure on the RRP to release kids despite evidence that the risk factors clearly outweighed the protective factors thus lending to kids not being held accountable for violent and criminal behavior, and consequently leading to unsafe cultures? Townsend.

Yall can talk smack about James Smith all day long. I agree he's a dumbass. However, when you look at who made the decisions, regardless of who recommended them, it all comes down to one person. Townsend.

Get rid of her and the agency will make a huge step in the right direction. eep her and this thing will never turn. She's been there 3-4 years now. Have things got better? No. Things have gotten very unsafe for the people who work there and for the youth who want to do the right thing. Who should you thank for that? Townsend. And I'll even go one step further. If you think it's just the field that takes a dim view of her, you're wrong. She has no respect in Central Office either. So when someone makes a dumbass comment on here, or makes a dumbass recommendation. Don't call them a dumbass. Call them what they really are. A Townsend.

9:07 am YOU need take your own advice. I said IF you knew what was going on and did nothing, you were a coward. If CoNextions is such a great program, why all the problems? If the executive administration is doing such a great job, why so many problems? I was with TYC/TJJD a lot longer than you and have seen at least two programs that worked better than CoNextions. And just for the record, thinking errors wera a part of Resocialization. Duh!?!

Texas obviously can't figure it out at the probation or TYC level. Get the blueprints from another state, any state, and put them in place. This is just throwing good money on top of bad money.Like watching monkeys trying to hump a greased football!

Look, if your defending the Conextions program you must be the one who helped create this program. If that is the case you were once a Superintendent at Al Price and were rescued when the hurricane damaged the facility. This in turn allowed you to re-surface at Corsicana, where you became burned out and thought about quitting, this all changed when an invite to come to CO was placed at your doorstep. The simple truth is we have tried and tried to make this program work and we continue to see no real results. We have traveled to other states to see how their programs work (Missourri Model) and have implemented nothing. We had the Moss Group come down and tell us the current program will never work without consequences, that was 2 years ago. We have been void of leadership now for 3.5 years, it is time for most of us to move on, Townsend is going nowhere and she is the reason why TJJD will never be a success.

Connexions was brought in and was used to replace an already working program of Peer pressure. Before Connexions and TYC/TJJD pulling our teeth and claws. I could sit alone with 20+ youth and have "ZERO" problems. In comes Connexions and the million checks and the short or no stays for acting out. This program was designed for much younger youth than the fifteen to nineteen year olds we have. Kiddy programs are for kids! The moment they started to roll out this cluster fk of a program the person that created the Peer program complained and said like most of us said. "It's not going to work!" There answer was to make the Peer creator retire and roll out the program that Certain TYC/TJJD people are making lots of money off of! Lets audit TJJD and find out who is making the money! That's the only reason for continuing a program that just does not work!

The Monkey example brought up by JCO burned out is the reality of TJJD!

Extortion, serious drug abuse, drug trafficking, heinous assaults, racially motivated attacks, corruption, and more equally horrible crimes are just a way of life within TJJD's facilities. Tragically, there are some staff - on every level and in every department - involved. The rehearsed song and dance performed at the dog and pony shows for administrators, superintendents,and directors when questions are asked suffices to fill in the blanks and check the boxes. So, if the paperwork and reports indicate compliance, then it must be accurate, right? Only outside the fence.

The idea that the kids, themselves, are controlling the culture and climate at TJJD facilities is ludicrous. Once again, a large number of youth are being victimized by the people with the keys.

Meanwhile, youth are suffering. A youth who is the victim of another youth ("on bow")has hollow eyes, shows hardly any emotion, is alarmingly thin, usually has bruises, scabs, or other wounds, is jumpy, keeps his head down, and rarely speaks. The "bowski" is forced to give up his food (ALL food - if word gets out that a teacher is providing a snack as an incentive for job well done, the "bow master" will often make an appearance to make sure "bowski" refuses this snack), his prescribed medication, his clean clothes. He is sometimes ordered NOT to do his school work, to disrupt class, to steal an item his "bow master" wants, to attack another youth, to attack staff, or clobber a teacher over the head with a keyboard or chair. Sometimes the bowski is not allowed to sleep for several nights in a row. The "bow master", who appears healthy, well-fed, congenial, and unafraid, sometimes will forbid his "bowski" to call home or make him refuse a family visit. The corollary is ruinous.

If you ask a "bowski" if he's ok, if he's being bullied, if he's eating, etc., he will assure you he is fine, of course he's not being bullied, and he just hasn't been very hungry lately. Sometimes, he will face consequences from his "bow master" just because you asked.

Reporting your concerns is either futile (you're ignored, questioned like YOU did something, made to fill out a TON of paperwork that goes nowhere, given extra work to take up your time) or professional suicide. Persisting and/or insisting puts YOU in the hot seat and your life is made difficult by corrupt staff (they will tell youth and other staff how difficult and unprofessional you are, eventually ruining your credibility with supervisors, coworkers, and youth). If you do not comply with the unwritten rules at your facility, extreme measures are taken to run you off. And if you're smart, you will run - fast and far. And then pray for the kids.

Culpability should be a secondary concern here - just figure out what's best for the youth first. Then, a new executive director can be hired. God bless you, TJJD.

From 03:25A youth who is the victim of another youth ("on bow") has hollow eyes, shows hardly any emotion, is alarmingly thin, usually has bruises, scabs, or other wounds, is jumpy, keeps his head down, and rarely speaks.

Response to 03:25:We see these youth, but we don't see them. Good ole TJJD. Good ole Giddings (and others). What sinister forces keep this culture in play. How eager we are to keep all this hidden and intact.

We can always depend on the dog and pony shows to convince those who don't see or understand the real signs. Is the facility culture really a form of contagion? How long does it take to infect a new hire? Once infected, does anyone ever recover? If they did, wouldn't they suffer professional suicide?

You know, it has been 5 years and TJJD is just another name for an agency who was failing. You can change the name, but it takes more to change what it is. The legislature went in with their political agenda and instead of approaching the problems with TYC in a manner to identify the main issues, they decided to wipe it out completely. A witch hunt was done on staff and there were some bad ones who needed to go, but unfortunately, so great ones were sacrificed. And for what? It went for staff abusing kids to kids abusing kids and kids abusing staff. When is this cycle going to stop. It is a shame that they did not look at the Resocialization program closer and instead of replacing it, looking at the parts which weren't working and why. No program is going to come in and be perfect, but resocialization did work better than the current one Connections. These kids are our future, what are we dong for them now? Many staff are afraid to do anything, let alone make a youth stay longer due to assaultive or other negative behavior because they might lose their jobs. The youth know this and this has created a very unsafe environment. What happened to the days when leaving the state school for a halfway house was a privilege for good behavior. Where did the privilege to get a job and earn money before they went home a privilege that not only helped the youth financially, but mentally!! I remember the days when a youth was being placed back home for parole and when his parents came to pick him up, the pride he had when he was able to show them the amount of money he made and how he wanted to help out with the bills etc. Not until you get back to where the youth can again see the rewards for good behavior can you be successful with the youth you serve.

We can always depend on the dog and pony shows to convince those who don't see or understand the real signs. Is the facility culture really a form of contagion? How long does it take to infect a new hire? Once infected, does anyone ever recover? If they did, wouldn't they suffer professional suicide?

Response to 9:29 a.m.:

Contagion? Absolutely. The time it takes to infect a new hire? It depends the new hire's spiritual, emotional, and moral health. Those who are infected don't consider their behavior to be symptoms of wicked contagion - they just get sicker and sicker. No one recovers, from full blown infection or even from mere exposure. However, the chances for survival and professional success following exposure are much greater "in the free". Veteran TYC staff who have maintained their morality and sanity through so many years of service are better humans beings than I could ever hope to be.

What we are facing is a belief system, the current reigning ideology of corrections. This belief system hovers above the ground, unsullied by the taint of realism or unpleasant facts. It hovers or levitates and is out of reach of those who see its effect at close hand. Conextions, CoNEXTions.

Is it merely permissiveness gone mad or is there more to this? As if to reverse the natural order of things, bad behavior is rewarded, promiscuously rewarded. The urges of criminality are understood by these ideologues and these urges are rewarded—why expect youth to change? Why expect a real change of behavior, isn’t that unfair? Why not become partners with and supporters of this criminality? They, the believers, have dozens of fresh theories to back it up. No one at the scene believes them, but some, to get ahead, pretend to.

Maybe if these little bastards had made better decisions prior to their incarceration (ie., choosing not to rape, steal, kill, or rob), they wouldn't be this situation.

4/22/2012 09:16:00 AM

Response to 9:16

Seriously? Little bastards is literally correct in most cases. No one taught them... nevermind. A 14 year old is a CHILD - period. This CHILD has been committed to the care and custody of TYC - to ADULTS! Are you insinuating that a child deserves to be victimized? If you are, then you are as guilty as anyone for the abuse these kids are suffering at the hands of the people who are supposed to take care of them. What if it was YOUR child? You are obviously clueless.

One thing that's always puzzled me is how some people will refer to a 16 or 17 year old -- who already has a couple illegitimate kids... numerous gang tattoos... a few serious felonies under his belt... and was finally incarcerated for pistol whipping some old Granny on the mean streets of Houston or San Antonio for a few buck --- how ANYONE can consider or refer to such a person as a CHILD. Sorry, I just can't see it. TJJD serves Young Men, and maybe some Youth, sure -- but CHILDREN? Techincally I suppose some of them could be considered "kids"... but if they're locked up at Giddings, by and large, "children" they're NOT, in my eyes, anyhow.

This was brought to home even more when I was watching one of those "Lock Up" shows on TV a while back. It was about juveniles and the justice system, their incarcerations, etc. And it occurred to me the producers of those shows simply don't "get it". The rank and file who work with these kids know the score, and know how often they will do whatever it takes to STAY INCARCERATED, just to keep from having to face any responsibility, go to school, deal with their babies, maintain normal relationships, etc. The producers instead focus on how sad the kids are, how hard it is to be behind bars, how much they miss (and are missed by) their families? HA!!!! As IF!!!!

When the kids on the show act bratty or criminally stoopid, they are seen as misunderstood and somehow tragic figures who deserve to be able to behave without consequences since they are young and for some reason don't know better. NO WAY am I gonna fall for that crap, but John Q. Public who watches these shows must be sitting in his easy chair thinking "Hmmmm. Boy, those kids got it ROUGH."

What they DON'T see is the slip and slides, snow cones, flat screen 3-D TV's, video games, pizza, general contraband and sleazy sex that the kids find available when they get locked up... and how much they LIKE IT compared to living at home or on the streets.

Let's at least agree to stop saying TJJD! It's TYC all over again and getting to hide behind this "new agency", it's nothing but TYC. Madden yacked about bringing the best of TJPC to the troubled agency, and CT has completely disregarded everything done by TJPC since its inception.

So it's TYC and let's be honest enough to at least admit that.

If Madden where your doctor and one of your kidneys was shutting down he would remove the other one! And act shocked that your still sick!

Never said there were not areas of improvement for dealing with juvenile offenders.

Surely to hell you see problems in TYC as major.

Surely to hell you see TYC then and TYC now handleing things the same way. Either CO didn't know what was going on OR they suffle people around to address the issue and responsibilty NEVER goes downtown.

Surely to hell you realize its the same people with a new name.

Surely to hell you have read all the post here and elsewhere from staff begging for help.

Surely to hell you are happy with the "all is well here, move on nothing to see here" approach, and thats fine since thats what the folks in Austin wanted.

Surely to hell that last poster is right on. Surely to hell I am former TYC and saying this was a mistake. Surely to hell Rick Perry deserves what he has coming to him. Surely to hell picking Cherie Townend over Vicky was a mistake. Surely to hell to argue I was deep in those discussions and many of of TYC folks left in disbelief.....

Surely to hell Cherie Townsend is your leader - one of whom none is Central office has any respect.

TYC hasn't changed, there are new headlines everyday!But has much as the "culture" can't change as long as the leadership stays the same, part of the problem may not be on Lamar Street!

Letting Madden have this as his swan song was a joke from day one, it was bigger and more complex than figuring the insurance rates on a 16 year old driver with three tickets! If you think he had a real grasp of the situation watch him attempt to answer questions on the floor of the house when his bill was up for debate. His inability to handle even simplest question allows some of these problems to be shared by every house member who didn't pay attention and voted for his bill.

But we can't put all the blame in Maddens soon to be vacant office. Part of his bill wasn't his bill, it was Whitmires bill. But the " dean of the senate" got busy somewhere else and laid low while this whole situation handed to the obviously overwhelmed Madden.

It is still time to try to change the " culture" of TYC. Part of that culture that needs to be changed could be downtown, Madden saw the it was time to go and is soon to be gone. The "dean " has had over site of TYC through every scandal !

Google Whitmire AND TYC, you'll find years and years of his rants and the problems persist. Maybe just maybe the new leadership on the house side should have a new partner in the senate. Not an understudy or Whitmire wanna-be.

Maybe only new ideas can come from new leadership.It's at least something to consider. If not then let's stop talking and start acting like these kids matter. Every day you delay another group of kids goes through a system people know is messed up!

If the likes of chief Michael Meade had not shown his face on campus this would not have broken into the public eye. People like him care about what is going on . Why does the rest of the board or that advisory council not get off their butts and do something. Kids run this place. Young CRIMINALS they are.

Kids will be kids. Criminal kids will be criminals... even if they are technical "kids" or not. Give them the opportunity to take over the culture and administration of a high security campus, and they WILL -- no kidding. Seen it happen as Giddings.

When the State lets a kid with a record of felonies get through the System up to the age of 18 and then proclaims him a full member fit to rejoin Society -- I want to make sure they did their job right. Don't think it's happening, but don't ask me -- ask people who WORK as JCO 1-4's there what THEY think.

An unvarnished truth is about to come out, and time the State has to do spin damage control before it does makes me hope officials can get to the bottom of what's gone wrong at the State Schools and get these deeply entrenched (but easily identifiable) SNAFU'S either FIXED or ELIMINATED. No more hiding behind tenure, race, position(s) or family -- out with the old, in with the new. Just do what it takes!

While they are looking into Giddings, they should look into Gainesville because the same think is taking place on its campus. Not only is there severe gang activity but the racism among the staff is horrible to. Take a look at the injuries that take place on the campuses. Conextions is a joke because all it does is cause bribery. Staff have no power to control situation and the kids know this. This is why staff are getting beat up and badly hurt. Gainesville hides a lot and threatens staff if they complain. So staff continue to get beat up and the kids are not being helped.

Did we really think anything was going to change by keeping Townsend and her buddies? Umm, nope!

I called 2 grievances in never got followed up and 3rd time I called I was told I never called to file any grievance before that nothing was on file ,so after a call to dcf and them having no entry rights to check on children in lock up ,to call oig to make a complaint ,I also found Debbie through them ,she is a diligent,hard working women and follows through to insure our children safety , she deserves much credit ,

As an employee of the TJJD, I can say that I was able to be exposed to both Resocialization and ConNEXTions. Resocialization was a better program, indeed. This new program is supposed to be an incentive-based program, but these "kids" as someone put it are not supposed to be learning to behave well for a treat at the end of the day. There are no incentive snacks in the REAL WORLD. It seems to me that this program is just a bribery attempt to get the kids to behave a certain way, so they can be shoveled through the system, and then put back into the exact same environments from which they came. The whole thing is a big failure. I could go on and on about the problems, but its a hopeless idea. The Policy writers need to come onto the "floor" as we JCO's call it, and see whats really going on before they write policy. THEN and only then, should they write policy.

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